Several media outlets are reporting that independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will announce tomorrow, August 23, that he is ending his campaign and may endorse former president Donald Trump's bid to return to the White House.
A nephew of a beloved Democratic president linking up with a man whom that party has labeled an enemy within would be the latest twist in the most bizarre presidential campaign in American history.
Unity has been one of Kennedy's main campaign themes. He often spoke of assembling a unity government on the model of Abraham Lincoln's "team of rivals". More so than most presidential candidates in recent memory, he emphasized his belief that it is necessary for Americans to become countrymen once again by adhering to the Constitution.
This was illustrated clearly and extraordinarily on July 20, 2023, when Kennedy testified before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
At the conclusion of his opening statement, during which he discussed the dangers of censorship squelching constitutional freedoms during the pandemic and government agency capture by corporate entities, he declared:
"Above all, we need to elevate the Constitution of the United States, which was written for hard times, and that has to be the premier compass for all of our activities."
The phrase "elevate the Constitution" should strike a chord with every supporter of an Article V convention.
The Constitution is, always has been, and always will be our compass. That is precisely why we look to that compass to return our unmoored republic to the safe harbor of the first principles of limited government and ordered liberty.
Calling an Article V convention will honor, observe, and activate the gift that George Mason and the delegates in Philadelphia presented to us -- the ability to utilize the Constitution to make a more perfect Union.
The strident and malicious attempts by far too many sitting members of Congress who attempted to scratch Kennedy from the witness list of last July's hearing or shout him down during the hearing at times resembled the illiberal, false, and outlandish claims by those who oppose the effort to call an Article V convention.
Silencing unique voices, slandering those who call for a legal and proper redress of grievances, or attempting to run roughshod over the voice of the people seems to be a common theme among many who hold office or sway in the media. Those who would muzzle speech and those who object to calling an Article V convention must be opposed.
We live in the hard times to which Kennedy alluded. The effort to silence free speech, coerce "approved" speech, or block a legitimate and constitutional attempt to place the proper restraints upon the federal government will be difficult to overcome.
Yet we recognize the necessity of elevating the Constitution in order to re-establish sovereignty, rein in the federal government, and in attempting to find common ground.
Whether Kennedy and Trump extend hands toward one another and what that may yield remains to be seen. Good luck to anyone who attempts to accurately predict what happens next in this wild campaign.
But we at Convention of States strive each day to elevate the Constitution, use it as our guide, and put to rest false and frenzied claims about what a convention can and cannot do -- for all of the people.
Join the effort by signing the petition below calling for an Article V Convention of States.
